2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN ABS

Airb ag syst em
entered in your Audi Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circ uit inter rupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians w ho have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to perform the work safely.
- If the veh icle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, a ll applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materia l
- specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. W hen the veh icle or parts of the re­
straint system including a irbag modules and
safety belts with prete nsioners are scrapped ,
all applicable laws and regulat ions must be
observed. Your authorized A udi dealer is fa­
m iliar with the se requirements a nd we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for yo u.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system ca n
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using t ire- rim
combinat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
ve hicl e, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
includ ing the spr ings, suspension s truts, shoc k
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the a irbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and make the a irbag system
deploy in c rashes in which it wou ld not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
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the sensors and p revent the airbag from dep loy ­
ing when it shou ld .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly instal­
led on you r vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbag s
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 132 Driver 's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is i n the instrument panel
u nderneath the steer ing wheel ~
fig. 132 , the
airbag fo r the passenger is at abou t the same
height in the i nstr ument panel underneath the
glove comp artment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the d river's and passenge r's kn ees and uppe r and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front a irbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
th reshold stored in the con trol un it is met
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airbag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos it ions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing be tween about 40 lbs. and 80
lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9
in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall .
Fig. 14 2 Re ar seat: child pro perl y restrain ed in a booster
seat
T he vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children unti l they are at least 4
ft . 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and we igh about 80 lbs .
(36 kg) . Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety bel t will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a c rash.
.,. Do not use the co nvertib le locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety bel t to restra in
a ch ild on a boos ter sea t.
.. The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen­
te r of the child's co llar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
ac ross the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug . Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary .
.,. If you must transpo rt an older chi ld in a boos­
ter seat on the front passenger sea t, you can
use the safety belt height adj ustmen t to help
adjust the shoulder port ion properly .
Child sa fe ty
.. Secure unused sa fety belts on the rear seat
i=> page 177.
Childre n up to at least 8 yea rs old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de ­
s igned for their age and weight . Experts say that
the skeleta l structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these chi ldren is not f ully deve loped, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
su itable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these child ren in appro­
priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the seating position of the
child and reposit ion both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the chi ld's body in the right places. The routing of
the be lt over the chi ld 's body is very important
for the ch ild's protection, whether or not a boos ­
te r seat is used . Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in . (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
th ree po int lap and shoulder be lts . N ever use the
lap belt portion of the veh icle's safety belt a lone
to re strain any child , regardles s of how b ig the
c hi ld i s. A lways remember that c hildren do no t
have the pronounced pe lv ic struct ure required for
the p roper function of lap belt port ion of the ve­
hicle 's t hree point lap and shoulder be lts . The
c h ild 's safety abso lutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the ch ild's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be the re to p rotect the occ upant as th e occu­
pant moves fo rward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of posit ion and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag . When an occupan t is too close, he o r she
will be struck violent ly and w ill receive ser ious or
poss ibly eve n fa ta l injury. .,,.
181

with the ignition off. It can even switch on again
l ater by itself~.& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due to the heat bui ld-up from the eng ine in the en ­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compar tment heats up because the
vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING , --
- To reduce the risk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan.
- The auxiliary e lectric fan is temperature con­
trolled and can switch on suddenly even
when the engine is not running.
- The aux iliary radiator fan switches on auto­
matically when the engine coo lant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig. 163 Engine compa rt m ent: cove r on the brake fluid
reservo ir
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Before you check anything i n the engine compa rt­
ment,
al ways re ad and h eed all W ARN INGS
~page 198.
... Read the brake fluid level from the b ra ke fluid
reservoir
r¢ fig. 163, r:¢ page 200, fig. 157. The
brake f luid leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fl uid reservo ir can be
...., seen in the engine compartment illustration
N
~ r¢ page 200.
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Check in g and Fillin g
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time
due to the automatic adjustment of the brake
pads . This is not cause for a larm.
If the brake f luid leve l falls considerably below
the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indicator
light
1111 (U.S. mode ls) I. (Canadian models)
will come on
~ page 17. Do not continue to oper­
ate the vehicle . The comp lete brake system
should be thoroughly checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified fac ility and the
cause corrected . If the brake flu id level is too low,
the brake warning/indicator light wi ll illuminate .
Contact an a uthorized Audi dea ler
immedi ate ly .
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced
technician.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the
water content in the brake flu id is too hig h, cor­
ros ion in the brake system may result after a per i­
od of t ime. The bo iling po int of the brake fluid
will a lso decrease cons iderab ly and decrease
braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
e ve ry
tw o years .
Always use new brake flu id which co n­
forms to Federal Motor Vehicle Standard "FMVSS
116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icu lt to reach,
therefore, we recommend tha t you have the
brake flu id changed by you r authorized
Audi
de aler.
Your dea le r has the correct tools, the
right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you .
A WARNING
- -
-Brake flu id is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed original conta iner out of
the reach of children !
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inappro­
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau­
tions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SA E spe ci­
ficat ion
J 1703 and conforms to Federa l
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with your a uthorized Audi dea ler to make
~
207

Tires and wheels
different tire speeds. For this rea­
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular tires.
.&,. WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not
possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen
simply based on the nominal size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ greatly even if they are the
same size . If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged
and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso-
222
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when not permitted can lead to ve­
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profil e: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
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If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with t ire p ressure monitoring syste m
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
F ig. 172 Instrument cluster: in dicator light w ith message
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread circumference
and v ibration characterist ics of the ind ividual
tires.
If the pressure changes in one or mo re
tires, th is is indicated in the instrument cluster
d isp lay w ith an ind icator light
RE and a message
¢
fig. 172. If only o ne tire is affected, the loca ­
tion of that ti re will be indicated . The message
turns off after a few minutes . You can display the
message again
r::;,page 29.
The tire p ressu res m ust be stored in the menu
disp lay aga in each time the pressures change
(switching between partia l and full load pres­
sure) or after changing or replac ing a tire on your
ve hicle¢
page 234. The tire pressure monitor­
ing system only monitors the tire pressure you
have stored. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on the
driver's door pillar¢
page 224.
Tire tread circumference and vibration character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn­
in g if:
- If the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- The tire was replaced or the tire pressure
changed and it was not stored again
¢ page 234.
-the spare tire is insta lled .
Tires and wheels
Indicator lights
RE -Loss of pressure in a t least one tire ¢ ,&.
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four t ires. Then
store the tire p ressu res in the MMI ¢
page 234.
film (T ire Pressure Mon itor ing Sys tem) Tire pres­
s ure: Sy stem malfunction!. If@m
appears after
switching the ignition on or while driving and the
RE ind icator light in the instr ument cluster
blinks for approximate ly one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction. Try to
store the correct tire pressures ¢
page 234. If
the indicator light does turn off or turns on aga in
after a short period of time, dr ive to an author­
i zed Audi dea ler or author ized Audi Serv ice Facili­
ty immed iate ly to have the malfunction corre ct­
ed.
,&. WARNING
- If the tire pressure warning light RE in the
i n str ument cluster turns on, the pressure in
one or more tires is too low . Reduce the ve­
h icle speed immediate ly and avoid any hard
steer ing or braking maneuvers. Stop as soon
as poss ible, check the tire and inf late the
tire to the correct pressure, which is speci­
fied on the t ire p ress ure label on the vehicle
r::;, page 224. Driv ing with a tire with Low
p ressu re causes the tire to overhea t and c an
resul t in fa il ur e of the tire . Low pressure can
a lso have a negative effect on the driving
and b rak ing behavior of t he vehicle .
- T he drive r is respons ib le for main taining the
correct ti re press ures . You must check the
tire pressures regu larly .
- Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
driving style, winter conditions or unpaved
roads), the pressure monitor indicator may
be de layed.
- Do not use run-flat tires on yo ur vehicle . Us­
ing them when not permitted can lead to
veh icle damage or acc idents.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system can al­
so stop working when t here is an ESC mal-
function. ..,.
233

Care and cleaning
Component S ituation Solution
Te xtiles
Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
arti ficial leath er, the surface
Alca ntara Wate r-based depos its Absorben
t cloth and mild soap solutional
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Apply a m ild soap solution al, blot away the d issolved oil or
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterwa rd with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such Special stain remover, blot w ith absorbent materia l, treat
as ink, na il polish, la- afterward with mild soap so lution, if necessary a)
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Natural leather Fres h stains Wool cloth with a mild soap solutional
Wate r-based depos its fresh stains: absorbent clot h
such as coffee, tea, d ried stains: stain remover suitable for leathe r
blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitab le
such as oil, make- up, for leather
etc. dried stains: oil cleaning spray
Special deposits such Spot remover sui table for leather
as ink, nai l polish, la -
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Care Regularly app ly condi tioning cream that protects from
lig ht and penet rates in to the mate rial. Use specially -col -
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon part s Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap sol ution: maxim um two tablespoons of neutral soap in 1 quar t (1 liter ) of water
_& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be tre ate d wit h wa­
t er- repelling win dsh ield co ating agents. Un­
favorab le conditions such as wetness, dark­
ness, or low s un can resu lt in increased glare.
Wiper blade chatter is also possible.
(D Note
- Headlights/tail light s
-Never clean headlights or ta il lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning prod uct that con­
tains alcohol, because they could cause cracks to form.
- Wheels
238
-
- Never use any paint polish or other abra­
sive mate rials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as sto ne chips or sc ratches must
be repaired immediately.
- Sensors /camera lenses
- N eve r use warm or ho t w at er to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
could ca use the lens to crack.
- N eve r use abras ive cle an ing m ateria ls or
a lcohol to clea n the camera lens. This
could ca use scratches and cracks .
-Doo r windows
- Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terio r mirro rs with a p lastic scraper. To